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14 Facts About Paljor Dorji

1.

Dasho Paljor Jigme Dorji, commonly known as Dasho Benji, is a Bhutanese environmentalist, judge and diplomat.

2.

Paljor Dorji was involved in the drafting of "The Middle Path" the country's first National Environmental Strategy which was published in 1998.

3.

Paljor Dorji served as an advisor to numerous conservation and environmental organizations in Bhutan including the National Environment Commission.

4.

Paljor Dorji has served in the government of Bhutan as early as 1969.

5.

Paljor Dorji served as an advisor to the former king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

6.

Jigme Palden Paljor Dorji appointed him as the first Chief Justice of Bhutan's High Court serving from 1974 to 1987.

7.

Paljor Dorji was succeeded by Lyonpo Sangay Penjore who was appointed by the king in 1987.

8.

Paljor Dorji was Deputy Minister for Social Services from 1988 to 1991, and Deputy Minister to the National Environment Commission 1994 to 1997.

9.

Paljor Dorji featured in the 2016 film Power of the River: Expedition to the Heart of Water in Bhutan an adventure documentary by American director Greg Hamilton which tackles about the issues on setting up dams in Bhutan's rivers.

10.

Paljor Dorji is the son of Bhutan's first prime minister, Jigme Palden Dorji.

11.

Tobgye Paljor Dorji is his brother, a former diplomat who became a hotelier in Paro.

12.

Paljor Dorji's mother was Ashi Tsering Yangzom, daughter of Tibetan aristocrat and official Tsarong.

13.

Paljor Dorji is credited for bringing the sport of basketball in Bhutan having learned the sport in from Canadian Jesuits in a boarding school in Darjeeling, India.

14.

Paljor Dorji introduced the sport to the royal family having taught the sport to King Jigme Singye Wangchuck when the monarch was still a teenager.